Your brand is identified by a logo or a look, but it is ultimately a
perception that rests with your customer. Words are a powerful tool for
conveying brand benefits and building a positive consumer perception of
your product or service.

Research shows that consumers typically spend less
than seven seconds reading a label in the store, and that they only
remember the first two or three branding statements they read. The more
text there is on a package, the less likely a consumer is to read any
of the branding messages.

So, how do you choose which words will
represent your brand? Should you use the jargon of your target market?
Be trendy, down-to-earth, or old-fashioned?

The best way to make words work for you
is to choose words that address your customer's needs. Four consumer
needs that impact brand loyalty are emotional, social, intellectual, and
security needs.

Emotional – People want
to feel good about what they buy, so make sure that your brand gives
consumers reasons to feel good about your product or service. Shout
"feel good" by using bright colors and a clean layout for your branding
collateral. Most importantly, make sure that your branding text is
relevant, memorable, and easy-to-read.

Continental Airlines has an ad in their in-flight magazine that reads Continental: Official Airline of Face-To-Face Meetings.
They're selling to emotional needs by offering reassurance in the
language that their business customers use. That single line tells
consumers, "Continental understands what's important to you, and we're
very good at helping you make it happen. You can trust us with your
business travel." It's branding that feels good.

Social – Humans have an
innate need for affiliation, or belonging, and choosing words that
appeal to that need is another way to build loyalty for your brand.
Consumer preference data and testimonials are two resources for
effectively selling to consumers' social needs.

"More people choose Sally Bacchetta than
any other freelance writer on the planet", or "I learned skills in Sally
Bacchetta's sales training workshop that I hadn't learned in 10 years
of field sales experience." You get the idea.

Intellectual – We all
like to believe that we spend our money wisely. Satisfy your customers'
intellectual buying needs with words that describe the value of your
product or service. One of my first lessons as a rookie pharmaceutical
representative was to differentiate purchase cost from usage cost. My
antibiotic cost more to purchase than my competitor's, but because it
afforded better outcomes and shorter length of treatment, the cost to
use was significantly less. Using objective facts to fulfill your
customers' intellectual buying needs can strengthen the connection to
your brand.

Security – Consumers
want to trust the products they buy and the companies they do business
with. Would you buy a bottle of aspirin from a stranger on the street?
Probably not. But you might if that stranger is wearing a Walgreen's
jacket and a tie and standing in a kiosk decorated with Walgreen's
banners. Still a stranger, but a stranger in a brand that we trust.

Choose words that tell consumers why they
should trust you. "Four generations of our family have done business
with four generations of yours", or "Certified by the National
Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Trainers." Consumer confidence must
be earned over time, but it begins with your branding collateral.

By using words that resonate with your
customers' emotional, social, intellectual, and security needs, you
position your brand squarely inside your customers' comfort zone and
increase the probability of purchase.

Subscribe to receive my bi-monthly Onwords™ column, and join me next time for three clues to good writing.